Review: “Furious” #5

“Furious” concluded its 5-issue arc with all of the redemption and comeuppance that the previous issues both built up to and demanded. This series has remained spotty for me the majority of its run, and although it rounded out nicely, it may have rounded out a little too nice.
WRITTEN BY: Bryan J. L. Glass
ART BY: Victor Santos
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: May 28, 2014

This issue’s present tense thread remains (primarily) in one place: mid-air. Furious and Perfidious fight it out mid-flight while Furious simultaneously dives after the rapidly plummeting toddler, Christine. It’s exactly the type of adrenaline-filled moment before death that Furious needs to make amends with her past. Previous issues have shown us bits of Cadence Lark’s sordid history but it’s these last twenty pages that delve into the heart of it.

As per usual with the “Furious” modus operandi, it’s the flashback scenes that carry the issue. Cadence Lark has just saved (albeit flippantly) Jodie, a street girl who is on the verge of being killed by her sadistic pimp. Cadence has taken this young girl out of her horrific environment only to give her a place in Lark’s environment, treating her to a heavy life of debauchery and drugs. The girls are lonely, desperate, delirious, and angry at the world when they decide to take their lives together in a suicide pact. When both survive, it’s a turning point in their lives. One gets better and wants absolution, while the other, Jodie, decides to get retribution…becoming Perfidious.

I don’t have much of anything profound to say about this comic. It’s fairly straightforward. Sometimes so straightforward that it feels as if the creators are spelling it out for us. While the last couple of issues have shown a significantly stronger storyline, major character and plot developments, non-clichéd action, and real heart, the overall arc lacks the depth I really craved. All superheroes are seeking absolution while dodging a villainous foe. I wanted more from this.

For example, in issue #4, we are introduced to Detective Christopher McKnight. In McKnight, Furious has finally met her match. He’s not like the other cops. He’s not going to play the blame game; he wants to know why Furious does what she does. He sees the scared girl she is and not the maniac she portrays. I’m genuinely saddened that this ripe character, one of the first well-rounded peripheral characters of the series, was only used in a handful of panels. If the series returns for a new arc, I can only hope they utilize more characters like McKnight.

In the end, this series feels too neat for my taste. Any characters or storylines that would take deeper exploration are cut short or eliminated. While there is a lot about the arc that works—fantastic art, some interesting social commentary, and loads of action—the overall product left me wanting.